apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I like how it tells so much about how you entertain -- a table is more important than couch -- but people still will come (it's Hawaii!_


Is this a free-standing studio? I would love to see the outside shower.

AT editors,

Please remove video ads from all slide shows, it's VERY distracting/annoying.
thx

Something makes me want to go visit for breakfast... all those bananas and that bright light.

i think it looks SO much bigger by having such a generous dining table. honestly, i didn't even notice that you don't have a couch. it's a very small place that feels huge!
good for you!! :)

my only issue is with the dark dining chairs. i think something lighter (maybe white?) would look striking.

I like the placement of the sideboard/dresser as a foot board for the bed, especially the treatment to the back of the piece that would normally be against a wall (but is now exposed). Good idea!

And although I'm sure someone's going to mention that you need more accessories or art in the kitchen, a big part of me loves the anonymous, minimal look of that area. Like those hotel suites that have kitchenettes in them that are always so much more clutter free and minimal than my own...

PS - I also really like the rug under the dining table!

Yes no shower inside.. Could never do that!!!!

The title says it all,"Where poverty takes a holiday." It is refreshing to see people live within their means and live well.
don

Absolutely gorgeous. I too didn't even notice the absence of a couch on my first look through the slide. Dining table/chairs mix is probably the most eclectic, comfortable, and chic mix I've seen on AT (that doesn't looked staged). Fabulous job.

Nice use of colour. Good use of space. Very livable, without feeling cluttered. The only negative thing I can say is that (for me) it lacks a certain wow factor... but overall, good job! Thanks for sharing your space.

I didn't notice the no couch either...the place is great!

I'd love to see more stuff outside though.



Yes can we please remove the video ad?

There are some great ideas here - like the credenza/footboard and the general mix (love those chairs with that table)

But the kitchen looks like nobody cooks in that kitchen which is at odds with the large dining table.

Persoanally, I'd need a nice sitting area indoors with a smaller dining area - and perhaps dining furniture that could be used to entertain outdoors?

This looks like the kind of place where you don't immediately notice 'great design', you just know that you love going over to hang out.

Also: I suspect that when you live in Hawaii, that you don't spend a lot of time inside on a couch!

Do you have an outdoor couch? (When i lived in the tropics, people generally had their couches outdoors on their patios, since that's where people relax when it's always good weather!)

Yeah, it's a totally different way to live than I'm used to... outdoor shower, no couch indoors... but then again, it's Hawaii.

Totally cool!

its pretty cool, lots of potential.

if I have one criticism its that the outside is underutilised you have a perfect setting for outdoor dining and in somewhere like hawaii I imagine you would be able to use it all year round (he says from the other side of the world) possibly freeing up space indoor.

very well done for on a shoestring budget purchased items

I agree about that darn Ikea video. It is very annoying and distracts me from these house tours. I've been unable to focus on anything but that chainsaw!

Thanks for sharing your pics with us. Your home looks very warm and inviting, it feels like a place I'd enjoy hanging out. I love the large dining table and mix of chairs, and the layout is excellent as it all looks bright and spacious. It took me awhile to figure out the shower is outdoors... not a possibility that immediately occurs to a Canadian, I must confess, but now that I've grasped the concept I really love the idea. I hope that somewhere down the line you can add some cushy seating on that delightful patio. Congrats to you on keeping it real financially... that's the best thing of all about your place. Well done!

I think you've done a great job. I love the style. If I lived there, I'd want something on the walls, though.

REALLY would love to lose the video on the slideshow. Somehow feels very rude.

Lovely place

I wasn't even seeing the IKEA ad on my laptop - I just went back into the slideshow and scrolled down and now I see it. But, I don't see it when I'm just viewing the slideshow.

I really love this place- maybe more knowing where it is (and having frequent move-to-hawaii fantasies). I think you need to be my friend so I can drop by and spend time in your lovely home and drink fruity things. Lovely work!

I'm sure if I had the opportunity to stay there it would be lovely, but somehow it feels a little bland to me. I want more. Maybe a couch would help, but I think mainly it felt slightly impersonal.

So shocked to see an entry from my obscure little hometown!

Use of outdoor space for dining or lounging? Pahoa is RAINY and HUMID - which would both be tough on any outdoor furniture. He doesn't need a ROOM to shower in, he simply needs to step outside when it rains and lather up.

Knowing the area and resources available I think this is a fantistic little entry.

I applaud the cash only/no mortgage bit.

I think there is more pun intended in the title of this entry...

This is pretty and fun and interesting.

that might be the next thing they can save up for - a landscape designer who could work with a small budget and make you an outdoor oasis with an awning and lounge chairs (although mildewy cushions don't sound particularly inviting!) so you have somewhere to sit.

really pretty and relaxing - just what you want in hawaii :) peace and quiet. wish you rented it out ...

Re: first photo... is that a banana stalk in your fruit bowl or are you just happy to see me?

Yay for the no mortgage part! Good for you!

This looks like a very comfortable and neatly arranged place.

Great job obscuring the bed. If you block the bed with a floor to ceiling wall or curtain, you lose the feeling of speciousness the space above the bed gives you. It matters that there is no couch or upholstered chairs. A couch is certainly more welcoming than a table and chairs and adds softness to a room. And the table is so big! And if we're talking about a livable space, this isn't it without a couch/chairs. Maybe there's no couch because the outside is so accessible (assuming that there is a couch there.)

Growing up near Pahoa I just want to say this is very impressive. To know how difficult it can be to find quality pieces for the home as well as having a clean and modern style in little Pahoa Town is simply amazing. Great work! By the way, where in Pahoa is this located? I am just curious...

What great bones - and potential. I wish my studio was in Hawaii & had a giant patio. It reminds me of a very simple, totally relaxing vacation home.
With the weather, I don't even think I'd mind the outdoor shower too much.

I love it... but where's your stuff? Who are you? This to me, is like a well laid out vacation rental

I LOVE that the focus seems to be on entertaining over a meal--something many studio dwellers feel like they have to give up!

Would love to know the paint color. It's the perfect gray I've been looking for.

I think the open design of the studio really helps the illusion of spaciousness, along with all the light you have in there! However, as other posters have also noted, the kitchen could use a little livening up. The bed/desk and table areas all have a personal touch that is lacking in the kitchen. If you would just do there what you did in the other areas (something on the walls, a few things on the counter, just evidence that it is lived in and used), this apartment would be perfectly balanced. A strong entry, nonetheless.

very different, and welcoming! awesome job!

Simply gorgeous.

it's a good start. but when everything is exposed like this, i wish more care was taken on small things... the white of the desk/shelving (elfa-ish) system bugs me to no end. Other than the good placement of "areas" there's really nothing about this place that I like. (well, it's in Hawaii which I like very much!)

It would be most excellent to turn the outside area into a living room.

love the kitchen

Thanks for all the great comments. In response to some of your questions:
1) The wall paint is from True value Hardware and is called “Cityscape”. Depending on the light it is gray, beige or ever so slightly pink.
2) The kitchen does need some art on the walls. Agreed. But I will say that it is so heavily used and full of food-related clutter that I was a bit over zealous about cleaning it before I took the photo, hence the sterile impression.
3) There is no couch, but there are two very comfy chairs and the bed to lounge on. Kick off your flip flops at the door and relax folks.
4) The table is oversized for the space, but I like to cook and feed people when they visit and wasn’t about to suffer with a puny card table just so I could wedge in a crappy futon.
5) This is a free standing house on its own lot with a big garden. It’s a short walk from Kehena Beach about fifteen minutes from Pahoa town.
6) The outdoor shower sounds strange, but it is usually everyone’s favorite thing after they’ve used it. Don’t try this in Saskatoon!
7) I love visitors. Come see for yourself.

interesting choice to go for a 6-person full sized table in lieu of a sofa.

So smart to pay it off!
Really well-done.
A charming bungalow.

wow! this design is exactly what I've been looking for. With the details you've given I'm assuming that you are in Kalapana Seaview, Puna Beach Palisades, or very near there. I would love to ask you some specifics about the cost of your structure. I couldn't find any other way to contact you, so if you are open questions please drop me a line at kahukunet at gmail dot com.

Aloha! Kahiau

A great start to this lovely space.

Nice dining room and rug under it.

You need to get real curtain rods that you can slide the panels back and forth because of the Hawaiian light.
Those swaggy tie backs really date the look.

That big gap in the bookcase/shelving unit is screaming for something.
Maybe just an innocuous art piece?

The patio has great potential.
Ground cover that spills onto the 'flooring' would help connect things.
When you get outdoor furniture think about bringing it out and away from the outside 'walls'.

I really like this place.

I think the table is great. If food & entertaining is your deal, then it's a better use of the space than a couch. I agree the kitchen could be more fun though.

Great comments from everyone. I must agree that the cottage lacks the Wow Factor as one writer observed. So here's the deal. I've lived in New York, London, L.A., San Francisco... where you can find all kinds of fantastic stuff everywhere from uber expensive shops all the way down to yard sales and trash bins. The Big Island is WAY different. No people, no centuries of accumulated manufactured goods. Bubkas. If you want something you have to schlep it in from the mainland. So, if my Poverty Palace lacks the kind of amazing objet d’art that comes ten for a dollar in the big city… it’s because it takes time to find stuff (or make it yourself) out in the boonies. It’s a work in progress.

LOOOOOVE the outdoor patio.

What a beautiful space! Guess it doesn't hurt that it's in Hawaii... :)